Ahoy, justices! Floating home case winner back to high court
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Four years ago, Fane Lozman won an improbable longshot victory when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with him that his floating home was a house, not a vessel subject to seizure by a Florida city.
The justices set a new national legal standard: Not everything that floats is a boat.
It was far from certain that the nation’s highest court would even take his case, and the verdict in January 2013 seemed a resounding victory for the little guy in battle with local officials. Now Lozman is asking the justices to enforce their ruling by forcing the city pay him legal fees and reimburse him for the home’s value after it was seized and destroyed.
Lozman’s 60-by-12-foot floating home had no engines, sails or rudder. It had to be towed to a Riviera Beach marina where Lozman took up residence in 2006 before becoming embroiled in a fight with that Florida city over its plans to turn the marina over to a developer. Lozman said the city’s actions were in retaliation for his vocal opposition.